Henderson, Las Vegas recognized for bicycle programs

Las Vegas and Henderson are quickly becoming welcoming cities for bicyclists, with each being named a Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists.

The cities earned the bronze-level award for their efforts to improve bicycling infrastructure.

Last year, Las Vegas increased bike lanes by 23 percent to a total 444 miles and off-road trails to 102 miles; it also added bike parking downtown, city spokeswoman Diana Paul aid.

The city also formed the Las Vegas Bicycle Coalition, an independent advocacy group to improve safety for cyclists through legislation.

In Henderson, the city was recognized for launching a bicycle advisory committee, which helped create the Bike Henderson program to foster cycling in the city, Henderson spokeswoman Nicole Johnson said.

Las Vegas and Henderson join a group of 303 cities across 48 states recognized as Bicycle Friendly Communities.

There are five levels of the award — diamond, platinum, gold, silver and bronze. This is Las Vegas’ second award from the league. The city also won the Bicycle Friendly Business award in 2013 for making City Hall more accessible to bicyclists, Paul said.